Trick or Treat?
by Team Dragon Star
Summary: It's once again that time of year where the lights go out and the ghosts come to play. It's Halloween. Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji and Lee are planning a night of Trick or Treating. Their first target, the Hyuga compound. Of course, there is no way anything could go wrong, was there? Of course not. Halloween Special Quickie.


**Trick or Treat?**

Halloween One Shot

A quick note, since it is a Halloween special, I made it so that some of the characters don't follow Cannon. Like Itachi still being in the village. I know I missed Shino out from the Rookie 9 list, but it has a reason. Trust me.

Enjoy!

* * *

Naruto really hated Halloween.

Normally, it would just be because the mobs thought that chasing him around the town and using him as a punching bag was a good idea. Why they thought Halloween of all times was appropriate for that, he never figured out. Sure, October 10th was understandable, because of the Kyubi Festival, but the 31st never made sense to him.

However, this time around, he was dead set on having a good time. It was his first Halloween since becoming a Ninja, so he was going out with the other guys of the Rookie 9. Well, most of them, anyway. For some reason or other, Sasuke had said something about having a prior appointment and walked off on everyone.

Strange, Sasuke never had any appointments or meetings with anyone.

But in the end, despite having the setback of Sasuke walking out on them, the males of the Rookie 9 had managed to scrounge up a good party to go trick or treating with. So at the beginning of the night, Naruto, Choji, Kiba, Lee (how he got there, nobody knew) and Shikamaru (after some threats about telling his mother that he was slacking off) dressed up in their scariest costumes and headed out.

That was where everything went wrong.

* * *

Naruto milled about his house with his usual jovial attitude. Today, though, it wasn't a fake air of happiness, but a true radiant atmosphere that surrounded the blonde. After so many years of loneliness and being shunned, he was overjoyed at the opportunity to go out and have fun with everyone. It was almost as if he was going to be normal for the night.

What he didn't know, was that this was bound to be the most abnormal night of his life.

So, to make the night as big a success as he could, he walked around the house trying to prepare his costume. He was planning on wearing something frightening, but was working hard on making it seem _not_ corny. It proved to be rather hard to make a costume for Halloween that didn't turn out to be cliche.

Gathering up all of the fabric, he headed to the bathroom to disrobe and change into his costume. He knew there was no need to go there to change, since he was the only person present in the small apartment of his, but he always liked to act normal. And in his books, changing in the bathroom was more normal than changing out in the open.

He left the bathroom ten minutes later, fully clothed in his Halloween costume and ready to go out to have some fun. Of course, being the former prank master (he had given over the title to the vastly less talented Konohamaru), pranking and tricking some people tonight was also on the menu, aside from the main course of hanging out with friends. Hanging out was the main focus.

He headed into the living room to wait for the arrival of his friends, who had decided that Naruto's place was the best place to meet up. Apparently, living alone was a good thing in their books, as it allowed more freedom. They didn't know the loneliness that came with being alone.

Naruto sat at the couch, waiting for his friends to come around one by one. He didn't have to wait long, as he heard the first knock on his door. It sounded like someone was trying to kick his door in, rather than one of his friends knocking to get his attention, so he decided that running to the front door in a hurry was a good idea.

He wasn't counting on the banana peel to be there, right in front of the door. His foot slipped and, despite all his recent training, fell forward onto the door. His poor, poor head hit the harsh surface of the wooden door with a crunch and slid down it to the floor.

The door swung open (Naruto's head had opened the lever style doorknob he had), thankfully outwards, to admit Chouji and Shikamaru in. Seeing Naruto lying on the floor, looking like an idiot that just fell on his face, which he did, they cracked up laughing. They held their stomachs at the sight of a maskless Grim Reaper on the floor, grumbling about 'stupid teammates not knowing where to throw banana peels'.

Hearing the comment only made them crack up harder.

"Dammit Naruto, it's Halloween, not April Fool's day," Shikamaru said, uncharacteristically boisterous. Having a good laugh and a threat about mothers sometimes did that to the guy, but nobody other than Chouji knew of the secret. "You don't make a fool out of yourself on Halloween."

"Shut up Shika," Naruto said, then he remembered the person he was talking to and the boisterous voice of that person. Something didn't add up in his head. "Who are you, and what the hell have you done to Shikamaru?" Naruto instantly settled into his less than perfect fighting stance, which would have been impressive for a civilian. Sadly, ninjas had better standards.

"Don't be a drag," Shikamaru drawled, already back in his normal personality after his laughter induced high. He looked over the stance Naruto had slid into and, even though the blonde teen had stayed in it even after Shikamaru's comment, he ignored it. "It's me. Laughing so much does that to a guy."

Naruto slid back into a normal posture, and stepped back in an inviting gesture, buying the explanation. Seeing the change in attitude, both Shikamaru and Chouji stepped into their friend's house, looking around at the foreign environment. It was a small apartment, and very messy. In the small space, it seemed there was a thousand libraries' worth of scrolls and tomes in there, with no attempt being made at organising them. The fact that it was a smaller space then their own closets didn't help either. The boys were from some of the biggest clans in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, so it was no surprise that their closets were bigger than the apartment of an orphan that had no money left to him. It was rather hard to make a living for yourself, even being a Ninja, at the age of 13 or so. He did his best, but his lifestyle left more than a little to be desired.

"Damn, Naruto," Shikamaru said, speaking more than he had ever done in a day. He preferred to observe rather than get involved, but this show of near poverty needed a comment. "You live in a dump."

"Thanks," Naruto said sarcastically. He didn't appreciate the comments about his accommodation, or lack of, at a time like this. But still, they were his friends and he was going to have a good time tonight, he wouldn't be grouchy today. "You guys go into the living room, I'll go see if I can scrounge something decent up to eat."

Shikamaru and Chouji turned to follow the instruction, but Naruto headed towards the front door rather than the kitchen. He had heard another knock at the door and was going to go look who it was. Judging from the clawing sound being emitted from the poor wood, it was more than likely going to be Kiba.

So imagine Naruto's surprise when a rabid Sasuke was at the door when he opened the door. It looked as if the boy had been stomped on several times and he was sporting more than a few scratches. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Naruto, hide me," Naruto's eyebrows rose even higher. Since when did Sasuke have a high pitched voice, and when did he start asking Naruto for help? "There's no time, they are after me."

Naruto stepped aside a little, allowing Sasuke to enter the household. "Who's after you?"

"The freaking fangirls!" Naruto was more than a little creeped out right now. Sasuke was not one to talk a lot, let alone beg people for things. Add the fact that he was doing so in a high pitched, almost girly, voice, you have a rather potent concoction of utter creepiness. Orochimaru would be proud ...

"Ino has somehow convinced Sakura to revert back to how she was in the Academy and the two of them are after me," when Naruto gave him a questioning look, he continued. "It's not just the two of them. They are the leaders ... with 50 other girls following behind them."

Naruto blanched. Being hated by the female population was one thing, but after being placed on Squad 7 with Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto found out that the other side of the scale was just as terrifying, if not painful. The ones that were in the middle of the scale were the lucky ones, neither being pestered for dates by a gazillion rabid monkeys, not getting smacked over the head by them.

"Alright, you stay here. Me and the guys are going out in a bit, so you stay here, do anything you want, but don't mess with any of my scrolls," this time, it was Sasuke's turn to raise an eyebrow. Every time Sasuke had been to his teammate's house, which, admittedly, wasn't much, he had been allowed to view the scrolls and use them; encouraged, even. Naruto, no matter how unfriendly they were, always tried to help people out wherever he could, and he was more than happy to let his teammate use his Jutsu Theory scrolls. "This time around, the stuff is a bit on the ... explosive side. I don't want you to try them out. I don't mind the property damage, but I would rather not hear you moan about my creations blowing your limbs off."

Sasuke nodded mechanically. He knew more than well enough just how ... explosive his friend's creations got. Seeing twenty Blood clones turned to smoldering ashes was enough proof that Naruto's contraptions were NOT to be messed with. Especially since those Blood clones were reinforced with an extra large helping of chakra.

"Alright, you go in and make yourself comfortable," Sasuke moved to comply, and Naruto moved over to the front door after hearing another thunderous knock. Apparently, it was 'Torture the Door' day. Everyone was trying to either scratch or pound the door to splinters.

Opening the door revealed the green clad wonder that was the Taijutsu master of their generation. With him was the heir to the Inuzuka clan, despite being the second child, Inuzuka Kiba. He was a-

"YOSH! HOW ARE YOU ON THIS YOUTHFUL NIGHT, NARUTO-KUN?" Lee's voice cut through the air the like a hot knife through butter. Sometimes, Naruto wondered if the guy had some Haruno blood in him. He never heard anyone other than a Haruno or Maito Gai scream that loud in his life. It was an inhumane torture for his sensitive ears.

"I am fine, and keep your voice down," seeing the blank look on Lee's face, Naruto tried a different tactic. "It is unyouthful to shout at night." Lee nodded like he understood, which, knowing him, he probably did. Naruto had long since learned the language that only Gai and Lee were ever able to speak fully at all times. The language of ... Youth. He cringed from the mere thought of it.

Naruto turned around, and shouted into the house. "Hey, Shikamaru, Chouji! Lee and Kiba are here, so let's head out!"

* * *

The party of five's first destination was the Hyuga compound. Even though they were mostly stuck up pricks with rods up their asses that rivaled the Hokage Monument in size, they were rather amicable in times such as Halloween. They liked to keep their image of nobility, so of course they had to participate in a village wide event ... in a noble manner.

And so, the party of five, dressed in their costumes, headed towards the compound of the Hyuga clan. Naruto was dressed as a Grim Reaper, complete with flowing black cloak, a ghostly white mask with an oblong mouth and, just for that added touch of awesomeness, a real scythe that was sharpened enough to shave through paper.

Shikamaru wore something that showed off his laziness in picking out a costume. Still, the simple white bedsheet that was draped over his head with black holes for eyes served to scare off some of the younger children, at the least.

Chouji chose something a little more scary, if only a little. The flowing, blood red cape; the white shirt splattered with blood; the midnight black pants that he wore; the sharpened canines that looked too real for anyone's liking, it all served it's purpose of changing Chouji from a likable, chubby, friendly teen to a frightening vampire of legends.

Kiba wore something befitting of a bestial person such as himself. Dressed in a full body suit that made him look like a furry werewolf, the sheer realism of the brown fur is what made him look terrifying.

But none in the group, not the Shinigami that reaped your soul, not the Ghost that froze you stiff, not the Vampire that sucked your lifeblood and feasted on your flesh, and not the Werewolf that mauled children in their sleep, none of them were as terror inducing as the last. Clad in a tight green bodysuit, tighter than normal, with a bowl cut sharper than usual, eyebrows thicker than two caterpillars sitting side by side, and a grin that could freeze ice and scald hellfire, the Sublime Green Beast of Prey stood proudly, wearing an outfit that would star in nightmares for many generations to come.

Inside Naruto, the Kyubi was huddled in a corner, whimpering like a newborn child.

The other four felt their egos being knocked down a few pegs, but internally, they knew they couldn't match the fear factor of the Green Jumpsuit. It just wasn't humanly possible.

Nursing wounded self-prides, the boys forged on.

Coming across the first house in the Hyuga district, it was more of an entire district than a simple compound, they knocked. By some chance or other, it just happened to be the Head House, meaning the family of the clan head and his personal servants lived here. Shame that Hiashi wouldn't be their worst nightmare today.

They were expecting a hostile welcoming, but this was ridiculous! Who the hell in their right mind would set a freaking bear on their tails? They did the only thing that came to mind at the time. They ran. Fast.

Something wasn't right though, the bear seemed way to fast and agile for a beast of its size. But that wasn't the only unusual thing. The once bustling streets of Konoha were deserted, as if some phantom had come and whisked everyone away, leaving the boys on their own. Something definitely was wrong here.

"Kiba, you are the most attuned to animals," Naruto's panicked voice rang out, louder than normal to make himself over the wind that had picked up. A storm seemed to be brewing in the distance. "Do something about the damn thing."

"I can't. I don't understand its language!" Kiba's voice also seemed panicked, but there was an underlying steel to it. "You guys keep running, I'll take care of it."

They all nodded and kept running. Kiba turned, ready to face the beast that was following them.

Its midnight black fur almost seemed metallic in the moonlight, its muscles rippling with every move. Kiba neither got to document more features of the monster, nor use a technique to stop it. He had been bisected from cranium to crotch by a glinting claw. The monster continued on its way as Kiba joined the thousands of unseen corpses that littered the streets.

"Erm guys, let's split up, we might get away that way," Chouji suggested. They all readily agreed, too panicked to think up a decent strategy for survival. They split up at the next junction, all four of them taking a different route.

Naruto was disappointed, to say the least, when he found out that he was the one being followed.

Ominous grey clouds hung heavily from the previously blue skies, thunder rumbled furiously and lightning flashed, promising a horrifying storm. The shy Sun hid behind the forceful clouds, afraid of the events taking place on the earth.

He was sprinting desperately for dear life. What he was running from, he did not know. All he knew about his assailant was that it was large, terrifying and it had claws. Vicious claws that were likely to rip through his very flesh, break through his bones and split him in half. At first, he had thought it might have been a bear, but he knew from prior knowledge that no bear got that big.

He was also aware of the fact that if he did not flee, he was going to lose his life in the most excruciatingly agonising manner.

The heavens unwillingly lifted the floodgates and the rain was allowed to spring forth. Large drops escaped the sky's careful restraint, attempting to purify the tainted and corrupted earth, to mask the disaster occurring at that time.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

He ran and ran -

Drip. Drip. Drip.

-But to no avail.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The creature was gaining on him. Fast.

The rain was falling in a relentless sheet now, attacking whatever was found exposed with venom. The thundering rose in crescendo, becoming increasingly louder with every passing minute, the lightning becoming more and more frequent.

A sharp pain shot through his shoulder, leaving his mind blank and reeling. The force of the blow left him dazed, his body going limp. His body was slammed sideways by the extended claw. As he fell, he caught a very brief glimpse of the creature. Fur as dark as a moonless midnight, teeth as sharp as a butchers knife. Looking more closely, the fur gave way to strong muscles glistening with sweat, rippling like waves when a limb moved.

A few trees lit on fire when they were struck by fiery lightning, but were quickly doused by the freely pouring rain. A few leaves were charred black, but other than that, there was no damage done by the bolts of light. The familiar scent left behind by combustion poisoned the air, breathed in by none but the most unfortunate.

The creature movements were beast-like as it moved to attack him. Even with his pain wracked body, he managed to dodge the blow now that he could see where it came from. When it came to speed, Naruto was no Rock Lee, but he wasn't a slouch either. He managed to avoid the careless swings of the beasts claws.

But he knew it was inevitable. He would die here, there was no reinforcement to be received in this deserted Konoha, and he was losing far too much blood to even think about wearing the thing down. He could use Kyubi's power, but with the amount of blood he had lost, inflicting the injuries on himself that the Kyubi's chakra did would sure cause death.

Yes, Naruto was resigned to his death.

* * *

Naruto woke from his daydream with a start. Sasuke was standing in front of him, wearing that oh so smug smirk that he was so used to seeing.

"Had a pleasant dream?" Sasuke asked, knowing the answer already. After all, it was him that placed the Genjutsu on Naruto.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT?" Naruto screamed, his previous warning about shouting at night all but wiped from his mind.

From behind Sasuke, Itachi and Shisui came out, somehow unseen behind their shorter counterpart. "That was the trick, Naruto-kun," Itachi's monotonous voice had somewhat of an amused undertone. He realised, to his great horror, that ITACHI UCHIHA was LAUGHING at him! "Now where is our treat?" Shisui was less stoic, and was in the middle of a full blown laughing fit.

Naruto's right eyebrow was twitching madly. Seemed like the world needed another lesson as to why you DON'T prank the King of Chaos.

What ensued on that night was hailed as the second coming of the Uchiha Massacre. Rumour has it that it was much, much bloodier than the first.

* * *

**The End**

If you're confused about the title, the entire middle part of the story was a Genjutsu made by Shisui, Itachi and Sasuke as their Trick to get the Treat. Rather creative, I think. As for Naruto's prank, you shall always remain in the dark.

**Important: This story is a part of the Halloween one shot contest which is currently being held among TDS' own members. Please leave a review**


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